Theme: Defining Moments - Overcoming Challenges
locations: Yad Vashem; Mount Herzl; Rabin Center
overnight: Flight to America
Natan Koloski:
Our last day on the trip began with a visit to one of the most prestigious Holocaust museums in the world, Yad Vashem. We were taken on a tour of the museum, seeing the full carnage of the Holocaust. At the museum there were many soldiers, who saw the importance of their duty through the exhibits. The tour culminated with an open view of Israel, meant to convey the message that Jewish people are still thriving in the world, despite Hitler’s attempt to annihilate us.
We then went to the special Room of Questions to reflect on the Holocaust. Inside the room there were computers that listed some difficult questions and showed different answers from professors and experts. For example: “Where was God during the Holocaust?” “Why didn’t more Jews resist?” “How could a cultured nation in 20th century Europe have perpetrated mass murder?” We each wrote down a question and one of its potential answers, and took some time to write our own thoughts and reflection. Then a certain fellow by the name of Natan Koloski described his Commitment Project to the group – a video explaining the situation of children during the Holocaust through interviews with three survivors. I had the unique opportunity to submit it to Yad Vashem for their archives, which was rewarding.
Then, Zev Steinlauf explained his Commitment Project. He guided us to a monument created by artist Nathan Rappaport that commemorates the six million martyrs who died in the Holocaust and the fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto. Zev explained the differences about the Israeli way of remembering the Holocaust and that of the rest of the world. We then went to a special memorial dedicated to the one and a half million children who perished in the Holocaust. The memorial consisted of a dark hall with what appeared to be millions of candles (it was actually only five candles reflected by mirrors). We left Yad Vashem with the feeling that we must prevent anything like the Holocaust from happening again.
Zach Pashko:
Today was a really powerful day; right from Yad Vashem we headed to Har Herzl to visit the memorial grave sites of some incredible and influential people that have benefited Israel in so many ways. We visited some of Israel's past presidents, famous soldiers, and special sites, including the Paratroopers’ Memorial and the monument to those who died in the War of Independence. Yishai, our tour guide, gave us a brief synopsis on each person and what they did that was so remarkable. Some of the stories that were told really blew my mind. I sometimes try to put myself in other peoples' shoes, and so often I struggle to relate to some of the duties performed by others.
Finally, we wanted to visit Michael Levin's grave, but had a lot of trouble getting there. His was very close to Yoni Netanyahu's grave, whose memorial yartzeit it was that day, and so his brother – the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu – was making a visit. Yishai had to pull some strings and talk to many security guards explaining how crucial it was for us to visit Michael's grave, because he was from Philadelphia and a number of us knew him and his family. After walking around the perimeter the long way – twice – we reached the grave site. Sarah Goldberg and I then had the opportunity to say a few words about Michael Levin, his story, and our connection to him. It was an extremely meaningful experience for me, as well as for the rest of the Fellows.
After we left Har Herzl, we headed to our final destination before the airport, the Rabin Youth Hostel. We started off by watching a movie about Yitzhak Rabin, and then had a meaningful discussion about his life and ideals. We then had dinner, which was great. We ended with a closing reflection about the trip. We shared things that we appreciated about each other, talked about the most memorable moments of the trip, and reminisced about our adventures. Each of us threw out some really great memories, everybody was laughing, and it was a very nice way to wrap things up.
One by one, several of the Fellows had to say their goodbyes because they were staying in Israel after the rest of the group left. The sadness began, but it was only a sadness that coincided with a smile. That smile came from the great memories that were made and will not soon be forgotten. Unfortunately, goodbyes had to be made, although nobody wanted things to end. We parted with the promise to reconnect in America – and post all our pictures to Facebook. Then, we headed out for our very last bus ride of the trip, which was bittersweet: we were sad to leave but happy to be going home. This Israel adventure really blew my mind, and was an incredible experience for everybody. |
The Service Learning and Leadership Institute, a division of the Jewish Community High School of Gratz College, is committed to educating and empowering Jewish high school students to become socially responsible leaders. Institute students translate Jewish values of education, spirituality, and service into a meaningful way of life and a powerful Jewish identity. |